'What If' History is more formally called counterfactual history. I first heard the term on an excellent series broadcast on CBC Radio's Ideas. The one I most strongly remember was about the Black Plague: what if it had only killed 25 per cent of the people that actually died from it? The implications - for trade, economics, exploration, international diplomacy, religious architecture and funeral rites - are enormous. And unprovable. History students are discouraged from treating the subject with such futuristic frivolity, but it is hard to resist. It's fun. We'll be exploring some "What Ifs" of our own history this summer. Stay tuned.
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